According to former colleague Alex Neil, SNP leadership frontrunner Humza Yousaf deliberately missed the final vote on same-sex marriage in the Scottish Parliament in 2014 due to pressure from the mosque, despite repeatedly stating that he does not use his faith as the basis for legislating.
Neil alleged that Yousaf asked for permission to miss the vote and that the Scottish government organized business for him as an excuse. Yousaf denied these allegations, stating that he voted in favor of the Equal Marriage Bill and was vocal about his support for marriage equality.
However, Neil claimed that Yousaf’s reason for skipping the vote was motivated by the opinion at the mosque and a fear of standing up for what he said he believed in.
Yousaf’s rival for the leadership, Kate Forbes, faced criticism from within the SNP for saying she would have voted against same-sex marriage due to her Christian beliefs.